Label applying apparatus



Feb. 24; 1970 L,,,.'.-E;,R'sT-Em ETAL 3,491,412

LABEL APPLYING APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1966 L 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 24, 1 970 J. 'FIEURSTEIN ETAYL LABEL APPLYING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1966 7 LABEL APPLYING APPARATUS 7 Filed April 5. 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 FE UYITEIN ETVIIKL-v I 3,497,412

Feb. 24, 1910 LABEL "Arrmme APPARATUS and April 5, 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb; 24, 1970 fguns'rgm ETAL 3,497,412

LABEL APPLYING APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Feb. 24, 1970 1 L. J. FEURSTEIN .ETAL 3,497,412

' LABEL APPLYING APPARATUS V Filed April 5, 1966 I v 7 Shaets+$heet '7 United States Patent 3,497,412 LABEL APPLYING APPARATUS Ludwig J. Feurstein, 3902 S. 12th St., and Fred Koehn, 2411 N. 4th St., both of Sheboygan, Wis. 53081 Filed Apr. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 540,313 Int. Cl. B32b 31/10 U.S. Cl. 156--364 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A label applying apparatus in which the label is applied to the vertically disposed side of an object driven past the label applying mechanism and the label applying mechanism includes; a label holding magazine adjustable to accommodate labels of varying sizes and having a vertical slot opening at its forward corner to expose one end of a label, a mechanism for biasing the stack of labels toward the object to be labelled, and positive pressure means for applying air pressure against the label closest to the object to be labelled so as to lubricate the label across the label guide opposite the biasing mechanism; a cylindrical label pick-up rotatably mounted in a fixed, vertical position adjacent the label magazine having a vacuum drawn through a plurality of vertically disposed holes through its side to draw a label out of the magazine through the corner slot, an adjusting means to adjust the height of the label pick-up through which the vacuum is drawn and means for periodically applying and releasing the vacuum through the pick-up head; a glue-applying cylinder rotatably mounted in a fixed, vertical position immediately adjacent the label pick-up cylinder; the label pick-up cylinder and the glue cylinder having horizontally disposed ridges and valleys which are offset from one another; a glue supply means for circulating glue from a reservoir to an outlet above and adjacent the edge of the glue-applying cylinder so that the glue flows by gravity down the side of the glue cylinder; and a glue knife mounted adjacent the glue cylinder and having valleys and ridges in its edge meshing with the valleys and ridges of the blue cylinder to remove excess glue from both the ridges and valleys of the glue cylinder.

The present invention relates to a label applying apparatus. In a more specific aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for applying labels to the end of a package.

In the art of applying labels to various items during the overall packaging or wrapping process, a number of different machines have been provided. However, these machines are, for the most part, extremely complex in operation and as a result require substantial maintenance in order to maintain them in operating order and are not enerally capable of adjustment for use with articles of diiferent sizes and for the use of labels of different sizes. In addition, no really eifective and simple means for the application of individual labels as opposed to labels taken from a long roll has been available.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for applying labels to an object.

Another and further object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for the continuous sequential application of labels to a plurality of objects.

3,497,412 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for applying glue to labels in an apparatus for sequentially applying labels to a plurality of objects.

Another and further object of the present invention is to provide a novel combination of an improved label handling mechanism and an improved mechanism for applying glue to the labels in an apparatus for sequentially applying labels to a plurality of objects.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for separating a single label from a stack of individual labels, applying glue to the rear side of such individual label and thereafter applying said label to an object.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the apparatus of the present invention showing the major components thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view, partially in section, showing various stages of operation of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view, partially in section, showing the details of the label handling mechanism of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the label handling mechanism of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the glue applying mechanism of the present apparatus;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational side view of the glue scraper of the glue applying mechanism of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the glue pump utilized in the glue applying mechanism of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the right side of the glue pump of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a plan view, partially in section, of the glue pump of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 11 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the limit switch of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIGURE 12 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the package stop mechanism of the apparatus of the present invention; and

FIGURE 13 is an elevational view, partially in section, showing the details of the adjusting mechanism for the label applying table of the apparatus of the present invention.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, numeral 10 refers to a main support having a main top 12 upon which the operations of the present invention are carried out. Support 10 is designated to be used as a separate and distinct unit or it may be readily incorporated in a production line wherein one end of main top 12 is aligned with the top of a wrapping machine and the opposing end is mounted adjacent a boxing facility, a stacking mechanism or the like. Mountedon main top 12 is an upstanding, rear guide 14 adapted to act as a back stop for one end of a package. Upstanding front guide 16 serves as a front stop for the other end of the package. Mounted between guides 14 and 16 is conveyor chain 18 provided with flights 20 for moving packages past the label applying mechanism. Mounted adjacent the feed end of conveyor chain 18 is a pair of transfer belts 22 driven by pulleys 24 which are mounted on shafts 26. Transfer belts 22 are adapted to transfer a package from the next previous operation to the label applying operation by transmitting the package to conveyor chain 18. In order to schedule the arrival of packages at the label applying mechanism and prevent packages from passing through the labeling device before the labeling device is in position to receive such a package, stop bar 28 is provided and protrudes upwardly between transfer belts 22. Stop bar 28, as will be pointed out in greater detail hereafter, prevents the package from passing to conveyor chain 18 until the labeler is ready to receive the package and thus properly schedules the arrival of the packages irrespective of the rate at which packages are fed to transfer beltg 22. Mounted behind and extending through a slot in rear guide 14 is limit switch 30. Mounted in a cut-out section of main top 12, in front of and adjacent the downstream end of front guide 16 is label applying table 32. Label applying table 32 is adjustable in its vertical direction by means of adjusting wheel 34 and in its horizontal direction by adjusting wheel 36. Obviously, adjusting wheel 34 makes it possible for the label applying mechanism to apply labels to a package at varying, predetermined heights along its side, whereas adjusting wheel 36 permits application of labels to packages of different lengths. Mounted on top of label applying table 32 is glue applying mechanism 38. Adjacent gluing mechanism 38 on the top of table 32 is label handling mechanism 40. Label handler 40 is supplied with labels by label magazine 42. As will be pointed out in more detail hereinafter, label magazine 42 is adapted to receive a horizontally-disposed stack of individual labels and to hold them in a ready position adjacent label handler 40. Label handler 40 in turn takes one label at a time from the stack, passes it against the gluing mechanism 38 and then applies it to the end of the package as the package moves past the label handling mechanism 40. After the package passes beyond the label handling mechanism 40, it passes pressure applying means 44 mounted on main table 12. Pressure applying means 44 applies pressure to the end of the package as the package passes the pressure means and thereby assures the adherence of the label to the package.

FIGURE 2 of the drawings also shows the most basic elements of the present invention and shows a sequence of operations in the application of the label to a package 46 as the package moves from right to left. FIGURE 2 also shows a horizontally-disposed stack of labels 48, adjacent label handling means 40, and stop means 50 for label handling means 40. The operation will be explained in detail at a later point.

FIGURES 3, 4 and show the details of the label handling means 40, label magazine 42 and stop means 50 for label handling means 40. In accordance with these figures, drive shaft 52 is operatively connected to a source of power (not shown). Drive shaft 52 passes through gear box 54. Also passing through gear box 54 is verticallydisposed, driven shaft 56. Shaft 56 is, of course, driven by shaft 52 through the gears of 'gear box 54. Shaft 56 is mounted through label applying table 32 and held in position by means of collar 58. Thus, shaft 56 is rotatable through table 32. Fixedly mounted on shaft 56 is gear 60. The drive mechanism, thus far described, provides drive means for label handling apparatus. Also, rotatably mounted through label applying table 32 is verticallydisposed, driven shaft 62. Shaft 62 has collar or spacer 64 mounted thereabout above table 32. Mounted above collar 64 and fixedly attached to shaft 62 is vacuum head 66. Vacuum head 66 has formed about its outer periphery a protruding section of enlarged diameter or arcuate flange 68 passing about half-way around the head 66 and having circumferentially-disposed grooves spaced along its height. When considered from the standpoint of the direction of rotation of head 66, a plurality of verticallyspaced air holes 70 pass through flange 68 and head 66. These air holes communicate with a vertical passage '72 through head 66, a generally horizontally disposed passage 74 and a generally vertically-disposed passage 76 through head 66. Mounted in passage 72 is adjusting screw 78 which, as can be seen in FIGURE 5, permits one to vary the number of apertures 70 which are exposed to the atmosphere outside head 66. As shown by the directional arrows, air may be drawn through holes 70 into passages 72, 74, 76 and thence through a vacuum line 80. Vacuum line 80- is fixedly mounted in vacuum cap 82 which is fixedly connected to table 32 and mounted in air-tight relation atop vacuum head 66, to thereby provide a seal between passage 76 and vacuum line 80. As can be seen in FIGURE 3, passage 76 is arcuate in form so that passage 76 is in communication with vacuum line 80 for a limited time during rotation of head 66. Vacuum cap 82 is therefore stationarily mounted and is provided with bearing 84 which permits shaft 62 to rotate relative to cap 82. Thus, head 66 will rotate beneath and relative to cap 82 and for a period of this rotation will have passage 76 in open communication with vacuum line 80. Mounted about shaft 62 above bearing 84 is coil spring 86. Spring 86 thus permits vertical downward movement of vacuum cap 82 to form a seal between cap 82 and vacuum head 66. Fixedly attached to the lower end of shaft 62 is slip clutch 88. Slip clutch 88 is in turn attached to gear 90 through adjustable slipping discs or an electric clutch (not shown). Clutch 88 drives vacuum head 66 when the package engages the arm of limit switch 30 thus releasing stop means 50. If an electric clutch is used, the clutch is energized at the same time that the stop means 50 is released and by means of the same limit switch 30. Mounted on label applying table 32 is label magazine base 92. Base 92 is adapted to support a stack of labels in a horizontally-disposed position. Magazines ends 94 and 96, respectively, are mounted on either end of base 92 and are horizontally-adjustable so that labels of differing lengths can be accommodated between ends 94 and 96. The adjustment of end 96 also permits one to coordinate or position the forward ends of the labels with respect to the forward portion of flange 68 of vacuum head 66. Attached to and slidably mounted on end 96 is label blade 98. Label blade 98 slides toward and away from vacuum head 66 and its position may be adjusted by adjusting screw 100. As can be seen from the drawing, by adjusting the position of label blade 98, blade 98, in cooperation with forward flange portion 68 of vacuum head 66, aids in the feeding of one label at a time from label stack 48 during the labeling operation. It is, of course, obvious that, if labels of different thicknesses are utilized at various times, the adjustment of blade 98 is a necessity. Mounted in base 92 and slidable forwardly and rearwardly therein is spring-loaded, forward label retainer bar 102. Label retainer bar 102 is normally urged toward vacuum head 66 and thereby applies pressure to the forward end of the stack of labels 48. The pressure applied by label retainer bar 102 urges the stack of labels 48 against magazine stop or rear retainer bar 104. Retainer bar 104 has formed therethrou'gh a plurality of air holes 106. Air is thus passed through retainer bar 104 by air bar 108 mounted on the rearward side of retainer bar 104. Air bar 108 has formed in its forward portion a longitudinally-disposed air passage, which, in turn, is in open communication with air supply line 110. By supplying positive air pressure through line 110, the passage in air bar 108 and holes 106 of retainer bar 104, a label is urged away from the rear retainer bar and to some extent its movement along the retainer bar is lubricated, thus aiding the pickup of a label by vacuum head 66. These air jets 106 also aid in supplying a single label from a stack of individual labels. Retainer bar 104 has mounted thereon label hold-down bracket 112. Passing vertically through and slidable in bracket 112 is label hold-down element 114. Hold-down element 114 is, of course, vertically adjustable to accommodate labels of different widths. Thus, it can be seen that the label magazine is completely adjustable to accommodate labels of all sizes and character. In addition, retainer bar 104 is longitudinally-slidable on base 92 and therefore can be moved toward and way from vacuum head 66. This adjustment also aids in supplying one label at a time from the stack 48 and permits the handling of labels of different thicknesses and character. Retainer bar 104 therefore cooperates with blade 98 and the vacuum means in flange portion 68 of vacuum head 66. Mounted on table 32 is vertically-disposed mounting shaft 116. Mounting shaft 116 holds retainer plate 118 which, in turn, is fixed to pm 120 on vacuum cap 82 and can be advanced or retarded to release vacuum sooner or later with respect to the package. Fixedly attached to vacuum head 66 (below retaining plate 118 in FIGURE 3) is stop pin 122. Stop pin 122 cooperates with stop element 124 which is adjustably mounted on arm 126. Ann 126 is, in turn, rotatably mounted on upright shaft 128 and shaft 128 is fixedly attached to table 32. Thus, arm 126 pivots stop 124 into and out of engagement with pin 122. The actual pivoting of arm 126 is accomplished by means of spring 130, which biases arm 126 in a position such that stop 124 is in engagement with pin 122. However, in contact with arm 126 and adapted to overcome the biasing force of spring 130 is horizontally-slidable rod 132. Rod 132 is a part of air cylinder 134. Air cylinder 134 is supplied with positive air pressure through air line 136. Accordingly, when air is supplied to air cylinder 134 through line 136, rod 132 is extended and rotates arm 126 in a manner to overcome the tension of spring 130 and force stop 124 out of contact with 122. A solenoid could, of course, be substituted for air cylinder 134. When the pressure is released, the spring again takes over to prevent vacuum head 66 from rotating beyond a predetermined point where the forward portion of flange 68 is properly aligned with the forward end of the labels in the magazine.

FIGURES 6 through of the drawings illustrate the details of the glue applying mechanism 38. In accordance with these figures, the glue supply is deposited in container 138. Container 138 is suitably mounted on support 10' beneath table 12. Extending from the power source (not shown) is drive shaft 140. Drive shaft 140 rotates pulley 142 and belt 144. Belt 144 is attached to pulley 146. Pulley 146 is mounted on vertically-disposed, driven shaft 148. Shaft 148 extends downwardly into container 138 and thence to gear pump 150 at the bottom of container 138. Gear pump 150 is mounted on frame 10 by mounting plate 152. Gear pump 150 has attached thereto and extending upwardly a question mark-shaped or other appropriately shaped glue conduit 154. Glue conduit 154 extends upwardly above table 32 and terminates at a position over the upstream or forward edge of glueapplying disc 38. Glue-applying disc 38 has circumferential grooves formed thereabout and is mounted on vertically-disposed shaft 156 which is driven through sprockets and a chain (not shown) from sprocket 235 (FIGURE 5). Thus, glue from the container is passed to the top of gluing disc 38 and trickles down the forward edge of the glue disc. The grooves of glue disc 38 are positioned to be opposite the ridges of vacuum head flange 68. Accordingly, when a label is held against the ridges of vacuum head flange 68, these ridges Will be opposite the grooves in glue disc 38 and thus there will be air passages and no interference with the vacuum drawn through head 66 (which holds the label against the vacuum head 66). By the same token, by positioning head 66 and disc 38 sufficiently close together the ridges of disc 38 will apply glue to the label held against head 66. In other words, lines of glue equal in number to the number of ridges on disc 38 will be applied. Excess glue from glue disc 38 is removed by glue scraper 158. As

shown in FIGURE 7, scraper 158 consists of a. vertical portion 160 which is horizontally adjustable toward and away from glue disc 38. The rearward edge of upright portion 160 is provided with grooves which mesh with the ridges and grooves on disc 38 and thus scrape excess glue from the grooves as well as the ridges of disc 38. Above disc 38 and extending over a portion of periphery of disc 38 is upper glue scraping element 162. Scraping element 162, of course, scrapes excess glue from the top of disc 38. Scraping element 162 is adjustable vertically. On the bottom of scraper 158 is also a horizontallydisposed scraping element 164 which scrapes excess glue from the bottom of disc 38. Scraping element 164 is also vertically adjustable. Glue scraped from disc 38 by scraper 158 passes downwardly into glue pot 166. Glue pot 166 is also constructed and mounted in such a fashion that excess glue from supply line 154 passes into glue pot 166. Glue pot 166 has attached to its bottom conduit 168 which passes into glue container 138. Thus, excess glue is fed back into the original container 138. Gear pump 150 includes a housing 170, which is inverted, and a cover 172. Cover 172 has a hole therethrough for the passage of glue from container 138. Cover 172 is removably held on housing 170 by thumb nuts 174. This ready removal of cover 172 permits cleaning of the pump. Fixedly attached to shaft 148 is drive gear 176. Drive gear 176 meshes with and drives idler gear 178. Mounted about glue supply tube 154 is bleed-off collar 180. Bleedoff collar 180 has an aperture 182 which coordinates with aperture 184 in the side of glue tube 154 and therefore permits adjustment of the supply of glue through tube 154 while the gear pump is operating at a constant capacity. Thus, by increasing the bleed-off through apertures 182 and 184, the amount of glue supplied through tube 154 may be decreased, and by cutting off the glue bled from the tube the maximum capacity of the pump can be utilized.

FIGURE 11 shows, in some detail, limit switch 30. Limit switch 30 is mounted on table 12 behind rear guide. 14. Limit switch 30 comprises the switch element 182 and generally L-shaped actuating or contact means 184. Contact means 184 passes through a longitudinallydisposed slot in rear guide 14. Switch 182 is fixedly mounted on mounting plate 186. Mounting plate 186 is in turn slidably mounted so as to slide switch 182 longitudinally along guide 14. This adjustment of switch 182 permits adjustment of the device to coordinate the operation of label handler 40, so as to position a label laterally on face of item to be labeled.

FIGURE 12 shows the operating mechanism for stop bar 28. Stop bar 28 passes between the transfer belts 22 and is pivotally mounted on pivot shaft 190. Trip arm 188 is pivotally mounted on pivot shaft 202. Mounted on tie bar 198 is a stop bar guide 196 which retains stop bar 28 in a vertical position. The tension adjustment for belt 22 is accomplished by the adjustment of take up screw 192 against adjusting bracket 200 which is slidably mounted for longitudinal movement on frame 10. About the middle of trip arm 188 is shaft 202 which passes through trip arm 188 and side brackets 204 and acts as a pivot for the mechanism. Side brackets 204 are held together and in spaced relationship by tie bars 206 and 208. Passing across the forwardmost ends of trip arms 188 is presser bar 210. Bar 210 provides a bearing surface for cam 212. Cam 212 is mounted on rotatable shaft 214 which is rotated by a chain drive in time with the flight bar conveyor. Cam 212 is rotated so that trip arms 188 will pivot to drop stop bar 28 below the surface of transfer belts 22 and thereby permit the passage of a package along belts 22 to conveyor 18. Trip arms 188 also support counterweight rod 216 on which is slidably mounted counterweight slide 218. counterweight slide 218 is adjustable by means of adjusting screw 220. Attached to counterweight slide 218 is countenveight block 222. Counterweight block 222 normally holds trip arms 188 in a position such that stop bar 28 is at its uppermost position. When cam 212 is rotated, the counterweight is raised and thereby lowers stop bar 28.

FIGURE 13 shows the adjusting mechanism for table 32. Table 32 is mounted atop solid shafts or leg-s 224 and 226. Threadably mounted on legs 224 and 226 are adjusting sleeves 228 and 230, respectively. Adjusting sleeves 228 and 230 are rotatable in but vertically fixed relative to the frame 10 and, therefore, by turning sleeves 228 and 230 by means of hand wheel 34 and chain 232 shafts 224 and 226 may be lowered and raised relative to frame 10, carrying table upward and downward relative to frame 10. Adjusting wheel 36 is mounted horizontally through and rotatable in frame 10 and its shaft 234 is appropriately threaded through fixed block 236. Therefore, by turning adjusting wheel 36, table 32 may be moved forwardly and rearwardly transversely of the main table 12-.

The operation of the apparatus of the present invention will now be described with specific reference to FIG- URE 2 of the drawings. When label blade 98, rear retainer bar 104 and label hold-down 114 have been appropriately adjusted, a stack of labels is horizontally-disposed between label pressure bar 1012 and retainer bar 104. The machine may then be turned on with a package 46 in place behind stop bar 28 as shown in view a of FIG- URE 2. The trip mechanism of stop bar 28 is then operated automatically to drop stop bar 28 below the surface of belts 22 and thereby permit package 46 to advance. Up until this time, of course, belts 22 have been moving but the package has been held in position by stop bar 28. With the stop bar 28 released the package then passes to conveyor 18 where one of the flights picks it up and begins moving it forward as shown in view b of FIGURE 2. At this time a vacuum is being drawn on vacuum head 40 to draw the forward end of a label from stack 48 against the forward end of flange portion 68 of the head. Positive air pressure is also being applied through line 110 to rear retainer bar 104. Also vacuum head 66 is held from rotation by stop 124 through spring 130. Also air is being applied to the front face of the first or rearwardmost label so that as soon as head 66 is permitted to turn the first or rearwardmost label may be readily drawn off stack 48 by vacuum head 66. Moving on to view c, it is seen that the package 46 is now in a position where it trips limit switch 30. The tripping of limit switch 30 engages the clutch of vacuum head 66 and supplies air to air cylinder 134 thereby extending rod 132 and moving arm 1.26 in a direction such that stop 124 is drawn away from pin 122. With pin 122 free, vacuum head 66 is now free to turn one revolution. As head 66 begins to turn, it carries the first or rearwardmost label from stack 48 forward and removes it from the stack with the air of blade 98 and the air passing through retainer bar 104. From the time that the mechanism was set into operation glue was being circulated through supply tube 154 and being applied to glue disc 38. As flange portion 68 carrying the label comes into contact with glue disc 38, glue disc 38 applies glue to the back of the label. The beginning of this operation is shown in view d of FIGURE 2. It is also to be observed, from FIGURE 2d, that a vacuum is still being applied to vacuum head 66 to hold the label against the vacuum head and pressure is still applied to the stop mechanism 50. As shown in view e of FIGURE 2, package 46 has passed and released limit switch 30, the label handler 40 has passed the glue means 38 and the flange portion 68 of vacuum head '66 is in a position to begin application of the label to package 46. At this instant the opening of a vacuum release port opens to the atmosphere so that the label will be released and pressed against package 46 by flange portion 68 of head 66. At the same time, the application of air pressure through line 136 to air cylinder 134 is stopped, thereby retracting rod 132 which in turn permits spring 130 to pivot arm 126 and stop 124 to a position such that when pin 12.2 on vacuum head 66 reaches the end of one complete revolution the head will be stopped and held in this position ready to again receive another label, as shown in view 12 of FIGURE 2. After the package 46 has moved beyond the label applying table 32, it comes into contact with pressure drum 44. Pressure drum 44 is free to rotate and frictionally rotates against as package 46 passes the drum. The drum thus rolls against the label, thus applying pressure to the label. If desired, drum 44 could be a heating mechanism to cure or set the glue utilized.

While specific means have been shown and described in the present application it is to be understood that those skilled in the art can provide numerous variations and modifications of these mechanisms without departing from the basic features of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying labels to elongated, rectangular packages, comprising:

(a) a main frame member, including, a generally flat,

horizontal main table top having a centrally-disposed, main, rectangular slot extending from its discharge end to a point adjacent its feed end and having a width slightly less than the length of said packages and a pair of extension slots extending a short distance beyond the end of said main slot;

(b) a chain-type conveyor means disposed in said slot and extending substantially the entire length of said main slot;

(0) a pair of transfer belts disposed in said extension slots and extending from a point slightly forward of the feed end of said conveyor to a point near the feed end of said main table;

(d) package stop means pivotally mounted below said main table and normally extending above said main table, including, counterweight means adapted to normally pivot said package stop means below the table and permit said pair of transfer belts to carry a package forward to said conveyor;

(e) upstanding, rear package guide means extending longitudinally along said main table adjacent the rearward edge of said main slot in said main table;

(f) upstanding, front guide means extending longitudinally along said main table from the feed end thereof to a point adjacent the center of said table and adjacent the forward edge of said main slot in said main table;

(g) a labeler table mounted on said frame through a rectangular opening in the forward portion of said main table adjacent the center thereof, including, adjusting means for moving said labeler table toward and away from said conveyor and adjusting means for moving said labeler table upwardly and downwardly relative to said main table and said conveyor;

(h) a label magazine mounted on said labeler table and including upstanding end guides mounted adjacent each end of said labeler table and extending in a direction transverse to said conveyor, means for adjusting said end guides, a label blade mounted along the length of the end guide adjacent the feed end of the apparatus, means for adjusting said label blade toward and away from said conveyor, an upstanding, spring-loaded, label pressure bar mounted on said labeler table and which is slidable in said table and biased toward said conveyor, an upstanding rear label guide extending along said main slot and longitudinally adjustable along the rearward portion of said labeler table and label hold-down means mounted on said rear label guide and vertically adjustable with respect to said labeler table, said magazine being adapted to accommodate a horizontallydisposed stack of individual labels between said pressure bar and said rear label and end guides and beneath said hold-down;

(i) a label handling disc means rotatably mounted on said table adjacent said magazine, having a semicircular flange portion of larger diameter than said main disc protruding from the side thereof adapted to rotate in close relationship to the corner formed by said label blade and said rear label guide, the surface of said flange portion having circumferential grooves spaced along the height thereof;

(j) labeler stop means mounted on said labeler table adjacent said label handling disc, including, an air cylinder having a piston and piston rod, an arm means pivotally mounted on a vertical axis on said labeler table in contact with said rod and spring biased against said rod, the free end of said arm carrying a stop element which cooperates with a fixed projection on said label handling disc to hold said rod out of engagement with said pin when said rod is extended and in engagement with said pin when said rod is withdrawn and said spring means is acting on said arm;

(k) a gluing disc mounted on said labeler table immediately adjacent and forward of said label handling disc having circumferential grooves spaced along the height of said gluing disc cooperating with the ridges formed by the grooves in said flange portion of said label handling disc;

(1) glue supply means including a container, a gear pump, a means for driving the gear pump and a glue discharge tube extending from said gear pump to a point above and adjacent the edge of said gluing disc and adapted to trickle glue downwardly along the edge of said glue disc and thence back into said glue container;

(m) glue scraper means mounted adjacent said gluing disc, including, means for scraping the side of said disc, the top of the disc and the bottom of the disc and returning said glue to said glue container;

(n) vacuum means adapted to draw a vacuum on the interior of said label handling disc through a plurality of radial, vertically-disposed holes through the forward end of said flange portion, whereby the vacuum will hold the forward end of a label against said label handling disc;

() positive air pressure means for supplying a positive air pressure to said air cylinder of said labeler stop means and also through a plurality of longitudinallydisposed holes through said rear label guide; and

(p) limit switch means mounted for longitudinal adjustment along said rear package guide means and adapted to be operated by the forward edge of said package, said switch being adapted to initiate the air supply to said cylinder of said labeler stop means, and initiate the rotation of said label handling means.

2. Apparatus for applying labels to a vertically-disposed side of an object, comprising:

(a) support means;

(b) means for advancing said object along a straight line path, on said support;

(c) a label magazine mounted on said support, in a fixed, spaced relation to said path, and adapted to hold a supply of labels;

(d) a single label-pickup and label-applying cylinder,

having a non-yielding surface and a plurality of circumferential, vertically-spaced grooves about at least a portion of its circumference, mounted on said support between said path and said magazine in a fixed position relative to said magazine and adapted to be rotated on a vertical axis;

(e) vacuum means adapted to draw a vacuum through at least a portion of the circumferentially grooved portion of said label-applying cylinder, whereby a label may be drawn from said magazine and continuously held against said label-applying cylinder at least during application of glue to a label and appli cation of said label to said object;

(f) a single glue-supply and glue-applying cylinder,

having a non-yielding surface and a plurality of circumferential, vertically-spaced grooves about its circumference and adapted to be rotated on a vertical axis, mounted on said support between said path and said magazine in a fixed position relative to said label-applying disc, with said grooves of said glueapplying cylinder opposite the ridges formed by said grooves of said label-applying cylinder and in sulficiently close proximity to said label-applying cylinder that the tops of said ridges of said label-applying cylinder and the tops of the ridges formed by the grooves of said glue-applying cylinder are spaced apart a distance not exceeding the thickness of a label, whereby glue is applied to a label held on said label-applying cylinder as said label is advanced from said label magazine to said path by rotation of said label-applying cylinder; and

(g) means for supplying glue to said glue-applying cylinder from a point above the edge of said glueapplying cylinder, whereby the glue passes down the circumferential surface of said glue-applying cylinder by gravity.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the glue is supplied to a point above the edge of the glueapplying cylinder by a pump.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein means for scraping excess glue from the glue-applying cylinder is mounted adjacent said glue-applying cylinder and has a toothed edge adapted to mesh with the ridges and grooves of said glue-applying cylinder to scrape excess glue from both said ridges and grooves of said glueapplying cylinder.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the label-applying cylinder includes means to interrupt the drawing of the vacuum through said label-applying cylinder at least during the period when the label is being applied to the object.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the label-applying cylinder includes means for intermittently stopping rotation of said label-applying cylinder at least during a period when no object is present along the 1abelling path.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the label magazine includes positive air pressure means for applying air pressure against the label nearest the object to aid withdrawal of said label nearest said object from said label magazine by the label-applying cylinder.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the label-applying cylinder includes means for adjustably controlling the height of said label-applying cylinder through which the vacuum is drawn.

9. In an apparatus for applying labels to the vertical side of an object, the improved apparatus for sequentially supplying labels to a label-applying means, comprising;

(a) at least two guides forming a right angle with one another and having a vertical slot formed therebetween at said angular corner;

(b) means for holding a stack of said labels in said guide means; and

(0) positive air pressure means for applying air pressure through one of said guide means and against the surface of the first of said labels in said stack to aid the withdrawal of said first label from said guide means by said label-applying means.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein the means for holding the stack of labels in the guide means includes biasing means for biasing the stack of labels against the guide means being supplied with positive air pressure.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein one of the two guide means is adjustable to vary the width of the slot between said two guide means.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Mudd 156--357 Taylor et a1. 156568 Weiss 156568 Malhoit 156 364 Von Hofe et a1 156- 364 Manas 156481 Weiler 27133 Schoppee 19834 Doane et a1. 156571 Dotzenroth 156571 McDevitt et a1. 156289 5 HAROLD ANSHER, Primary Examiner D. J. FRITSCH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

Weiss 156357 10 118231, 232, 259; 156--568,571 

